“For thousands of years, a whole host of cultures met up with one another on the edges of the Black Sea. It divided peoples and cultures, but it also brought them together”. Ritt Bjerregaard.

The Black Sea is surrounded by six countries: Romania and Bulgaria to the west, The Ukraine, Russia and Georgia to the north and east, and Turkey to the south. Known as Pontus Exinus (the inhospitable sea), the Black Sea and its shores were colonised by the Greeks as early as the 8th century BC, then by the Romans from the 1st to the 3rd centuries AD.From the Crusades and the Ottomans through to the break-up of Soviet Union, the whole of this region has witnessed sometimes tumultuous political and religious changes. Following the countless conquests endured by the peoples of the region, the current population live with the heritage of this cultural and religious mixture.All of the countries on the coasts now have to fight in one way or another for their integrity and identity. Vanessa Winship’s images explore the multiple cultural identities rubbing shoulders with one another along the Black Sea, clashing with and enriching one another. But these places are also rich in mythical and legendary history and this is shown in Vanessa Winship’s images.